


Cramped

by anasticklefics



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adult Losers Club (IT), Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, M/M, Road Trips, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anasticklefics/pseuds/anasticklefics
Summary: Eddie and Richie go on a roadtrip and it leads to a confession.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 15





	Cramped

**Author's Note:**

> Fic where everything is fine and they're adults, basically.

The summer they turned 20 they went on a road trip, just the two of them, cramped up in a way too small car that had to bear witness to many quarrels just two days into the trip. They’d claimed this would be the only time they would do something like this together, as the rest of the losers would inevitably want to tag along if they did this after turning 21. Eddie had briefly wondered if either of them would be alive to see that birthday, as he was rather certain they would kill each other before the month of June ended.

“Eyes on the fucking road, Rich!” he said at least a hundred times a day, and Richie rolled his eyes each time and let go of Eddie’s knee which made Eddie a bit sad, but he never said anything about it.

Sometimes the cramped space did them favors, though, when they’d parked somewhere for the night after failing at finding a motel or the likes. Eddie always expected them to fight about it. For Richie to accuse Eddie of not knowing how to read a fucking map, for Eddie to claim Richie had missed like three fucking turns. But it was always the most disastrous situations with the most uncertain outcomes that brought them closer. Maybe Eddie would’ve pondered that more had he wanted to ruin his own life.

“Well, this is cozy,” Richie said, having folded down the car seats so that they could sleep semi comfortably. Eddie would never admit it, but it bothered him that they couldn’t touch as easily with this setup. At motels they could at least push the beds together.

“I guess,” he replied, staring at the street light just outside the window that would probably become a problem. “You sure we can’t park closer to the woods?”

“Uh, and get murdered in our sleep? No thank you.”

“I didn’t take you for a wuss.”

Richie’s eyebrows knitted together. “I’m not. Take that back.”

“If you show me you’re not afraid to park in the woods I will.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Okay, well, then you’re a-”

“Don’t say it, Ed.”

Eddie poked him in the ribs. “Wuss.”

“Okay, that’s it!”

But Eddie was quicker, knowing exactly how to maneuver Richie in this cramped up space. One knee between Richie’s legs, one hand holding down one of Richie’s wrists while the other tickled the skin just beside the trapped limb. Unable to move properly and not being able to reach Eddie’s offending fingers with his other hand, Richie was left a blabbering mess. It was funny. After all these years Richie always claimed to be the tickle king between the two when they both knew Eddie could turn the tables in two seconds if he wanted.

Partly because Richie was scared of triggering his asthma, but whatever.

“I know you love this,” Eddie said with a grin and Richie groaned, unused to embarrassment and very bad at handling it. “Maybe I’ll stop if you admit it.”

He could feel the car shaking a bit with Richie’s increasing efforts to get away. Eddie blushed only a little bit at the thought of what this could look like if anyone saw them, but his sudden fear was bigger and he heaved himself off of his boyfriend before Richie had even started laughing. Richie must’ve known something was wrong, then, because Eddie never stopped before he got him laughing.

“Eds?”

“We should sleep.”

“You were right.”

“Huh?”

Pink tinted Richie’s cheeks, but he didn’t look away when he said, “I do love it.”

“Oh.” Eddie had to grin at it. “Well, took you long enough to admit it.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Hey, hey, no, I’m sorry. Look at me.” Richie did, his blush growing by the second. “I’m glad you told me.”

“Well, I figured it was time,” Richie said with a shrug, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “So.”

“So?”

“So do I have to now ask you to continue or will you show me some fucking mercy?”

Eddie let out a laugh which would very soon mingle with Richie’s surprised one when he reached over to squeeze his thigh. “You big baby.”

“Shut up- shit!”

“Oh, be quiet, I know you love it.”

It was only then that Eddie realized that Richie had confessed in order to distract Eddie from the fear that refused to leave him be. He appreciated it.


End file.
